BetUK History

First founded in 2012 by Channel Islands consortium Intellectual Property & Software Ltd (IP&S), BetUK were a casino and gaming business based in the UK market and specifically targeting 25-55-year-old males until their 2018 acquisition by Swedish casino company LeoVegas Group.

LeoVegas group are looking to gain a foothold in the busy UK betting market and announced early in 2018 that they had acquired the entire Intellectual Property & Software Ltd (IP&S) brand in a £65m deal. IP&S also owned UKCasino, 21.co.uk and Slot Boss, three more casino and slots based entities in the UK gambling market.

He said: “We are now taking the next step and launching a brand that has sports betting as its primary focus. BetUK.com is a premium domain with a very strong link profile that ranks high on Google and other search engines. It is a very exciting move, and I am convinced that it will be a success with strong and sustainable growth,”

In a further update to the Swedish Stock Exchange which LeoVegas are a part of they added: “LeoVegas has pursued a global brand strategy that is very successful. In larger markets, the group’s two global brands, LeoVegas and Royal Panda, can be complemented with a local, multi-brand strategy.

“The UK is such a large and mature market that it warrants working with several brands that attract various types of customers.”

BetUK signalled their intent for an aggressive advertising policy in the UK market with the news that they would be the new shirt sponsors and exclusive betting partners of Championship side Swansea City for the 2018-19 season. In the new campaign, Swansea are one of no fewer than 17 of the 24 Championship teams sponsored by a gambling company in addition to 9 Premier League teams. BetUK and their rivals clearly see this as a very valuable pathway to getting their brand name out there.

In August 2018, BetUK launched their sportsbook on the website, finally offering their customers the chance to bet on sports as well as using their casino and slots. The sportsbook is clearly a massive undertaking from BetUK with no fewer than 28 different sports and specials to bet on including e-sports and unlike several other upstart sportsbooks they offer a full range of markets on horse racing both domestically and internationally.

With the vision and determination of LeoVegas Group and their heavy investment in BetUK the aim to create a betting company to rival the big guns is clear. The market is close to saturation so BetUK will have its work cut out but the early signs are positive and they certainly do not lack ambition.

Pros and Cons of BetUK

Pros

Vast range of markets on sports covered with over 100 for most football matched

Full range of sports including horse racing and niche betting

Competitive odds with market leaders across the industry

Easy to navigate and visually friendly website

Great range of high quality casino, slots and games

Cons

Website doesn’t work properly in Microsoft Edge browser

Mobile website not the easiest to navigate

Sports streaming options limited

BetUK Overall

BetUK are a sportsbook and casino with an impressive range of betting options and they appear to have the capabilities to make a big splash in the crowded betting market.

The website is impressive and has a pleasing interface all while maintaining easy, quick navigation and swift movement from link-to-link which is critical with their in-play services and range of virtual sports which are live streamed with a new event every minute.

BetUK are very new to the UK market with their sportsbook but compared to other upstarts they have a vast and impressive range of betting options so could be capable of significant success, especially with their high-profile sponsorships boosting their profile.

There are areas to improve upon with the absence of live racing streaming for instance, but these are things that could be resolved in the future especially with LeoVegas group’s determination to make them a significant UK player.

BetUK are on the up and they offer a good option outside of the mainstream. Their new sportsbook could well take this company to the next level.

BetUK Interface

BetUK’s interface is pleasing on the eye, functional and easy to navigate.

With sharp graphics, enticing features, quick loading pages and a simple list of sports followed by sub-categories when clicked on down the left-hand side the website couldn’t be much easier to use.

Everything is very clear and bright, perfect for both novice and experienced punters.

One issue experienced during the review was when accessing the desktop site through Microsoft Edge, a red banner spread across the page, preventing access from markets. This was not an issue with other browsers but appeared out of place and somewhat concerning.

For a sportsbook of this stature, BetUK’s site is good and in general it is an enjoyable place to be.

Their casino games are powered by major software companies like NetEnt and Microgaming and they also offer the chance to talk live to casino dealers to make a true casino experience from anywhere.

Betting Markets with BetUK

BetUK provide an excellent range of sports to bet on as part of their sportsbook.

Most of the usual suspects are included with football, horse racing, tennis and cricket as well as the four main American sports.

The presence of E-sports, very much a niche market but on the rise with the potential for major growth based on the hugely popular NBA 2K professional league in the US and virtual sports, offers betting for those from the video games age.

When it comes to depth in the markets, the football coverage at BetUK is impressive, with feature matches listing over 100 different betting options with all manner of weird and wonderful specials available as well as more traditional markets. If you have an opinion on a match, the chances are that you can wager accordingly.

It isn’t just feature sports that receive this level of detail in their markets, with the chance to bet on everything from Gaelic Hurling to Windsurfing. BetUK’s casino has been online since 2012 and provides a graphically impressive and vast list of slots and traditional casino games for their customers.

BetUK has over 350 online slots to choose from including market leaders like Rainbow Riches. as well as table games with live interactive dealers. Their games are provided by the likes of NetEnt, Microgaming and IGT to name just a few.

The announcement over securing rights for live greyhound racing is a positive as one of the few sports missing from their sportsbook currently.

BetUK Offers and Bonuses

One of the key ways for a sportsbook or an online betting site to differentiate themselves from their competitors is through the types of offers and bonuses that they provide.

BetUK fall behind most of their rivals with a paltry free £5 bet to match your first staked £5 bet along with 10 free 10p spins on casino or slot games. Most other betting and casino sites match stakes considerably higher for new customers and for a relative upstart at least from a betting point-of-view it is surprising they don’t offer more.

BetUK do provide additional bonuses from time to time, primarily in their casino, but these aren’t likely to lure customers in either as they are pretty well concealed on the website and you have to go looking for them rather than them jumping off the screen.

Other betting sites such as Unibet offer a more extensive list of incentives for their clientele and generally most firms match at least £20 of bets for new customers, often more. In terms of their current place in the market as an up and coming company, BetUK’s promotions for new and existing customers are quite disappointing and need reviewing as enticing offers are a proven way to get new punters involved.

BetUK Content (Live Streaming, Audio, Radio, Blogs, Previews)

Many of the established sportsbooks such as William Hill and Betfair provide in-depth previews on a wide range of sports, to inform and entertain their customers.

In this case, BetUK are behind the competition and one would suggest they may need to follow suit in providing their own written betting previews for matches and tournaments on a range of sports, delivering key stats as well as tips.

Also lacking is any sort of form guide or information other than the basics on horse racing. All of this must be said with the caveat that we are talking about a very new sportsbook so such information could very easily be a future venture once they have the relevant personnel to deliver it.

BetUK also have room for improvement when it comes to live streaming. At present, they are unable to offer live coverage of sports on their site, a feature that is becoming commonplace for many sportsbooks.

In-play bettors want to be able to watch and bet on sports at the same time, and if a sportsbook can’t deliver that, they will turn to an alternative site that can. BetUK will remain at a disadvantage here until they secure picture rights and while they offer decent live content and in-play markets, none of this is enough to separate them from the competition.

BetUK and LeoVegas Group are clearly ambitious, so live streaming is surely something they will be considering and live greyhound racing has already been talked of publicly. It would certainly bring them closer to the market leaders if they could add this content and live horse racing as well as possibly football audio commentary which others offer.

BetUK In-Play

BetUK offer a live betting section that is attractive and easy to use, the variety of in-play betting options is solid and customers can find all manner of different in-play opportunities for several different sports.

The range of markets isn’t as vast as some, with others offering more short-term bets such as a goal to be scored in the next five minutes, next card, corner or goal etc. but there are still enough to keep the average punter happy.

BetUK have a very neat visualisation graphic they call the Match Tracker in the top right corner telling you who is in possession, attacking or dangerously attacking to encourage punters to quickly place bets if the visualisation shows certain events increasing in likelihood. Such graphics are becoming relatively commonplace however.

The Match Tracker brings in-play betting to life, as you really feel involved even if not watching the game and it allows you to try and follow the flow of a match. This success is probably why BetUK and so many others are using such graphics. Other live games plus sco BetUK offer a live betting section that is attractive and easy to use, the variety of in-play betting options is solid and customers can find all manner of different in-play opportunities for several different sports.

The range of markets isn’t as vast as some, with others offering more short-term bets such as a goal to be scored in the next five minutes, next card, corner or goal etc. but there are still enough to keep the average punter happy.

BetUK have a very neat visualisation graphic they call the Match Tracker in the top right corner telling you who is in possession, attacking or dangerously attacking to encourage punters to quickly place bets if the visualisation shows certain events increasing in likelihood. Such graphics are becoming relatively commonplace however.

The Match Tracker brings in-play betting to life, as you really feel involved even if not watching the game and it allows you to try and follow the flow of a match. This success is probably why BetUK and so many others are using such graphics. Other live games plus scores and minutes played are shown down the left-hand side too so can be navigated to with a single click making the list of bets at any time virtually endless.

BetUK’s in play service isn’t exceptional or out of the ordinary but it is more than adequate for all bar the most advanced in-play bettors.

The main drawback of their in-play service is the absence of live streaming. Again, this is a possibility going forward and BetUK’s infancy must be taken into account because they are offering a decent service considering how new the sportsbook is.res and minutes played are shown down the left-hand side too so can be navigated to with a single click making the list of bets at any time virtually endless.

BetUK’s in play service isn’t exceptional or out of the ordinary but it is more than adequate for all bar the most advanced in-play bettors.

The main drawback with their in-play service is the absence of live streaming. Again, this is a possibility going forward and BetUK’s infancy must be taken into account because they are offering a decent service considering how new the sportsbook is.

BetUK Stats & Form

Betting sites and sportsbooks are always looking to give a bit more to their customers to keep them interested, and the inclusion of stats and form guides is one of those ploys.

BetUK however are somewhat lacking in this department with no previews or form-guides on site so for those seeking either they must look elsewhere. This will no doubt put off those who like to be influenced by expert opinions.

It will be interesting to see whether they make more of an effort going forward, particularly with horse racing where such previews are a near necessity on any betting website.

BetUK’s statistics in game are relatively basic too so overall it must be said that they do lack in this area.

BetUK Banking and Withdrawals

Withdrawals from BetUK are free of charge and appear quickly in customers’ accounts (usually within 48 hours). Every common payment method is available, as well as some local ones. Punters can place bets in casino, live casino, e-sports, virtual sports with Visa and Mastercard while e-wallets are also fine to use with the likes of Neteller and Skrill.

BetUK Stats & Form

Betting sites and sportsbooks are always looking to give a bit more to their customers to keep them interested, and the inclusion of stats and form guides is one of those ploys.

BetUK, however, are somewhat lacking in this department with no previews or form-guides on site so for those seeking either they must look elsewhere. This will no doubt put off those who like to be influenced by expert opinions.

It will be interesting to see whether they make more of an effort going forward, particularly with horse racing where such previews are a near necessity on any betting website.

BetUK’s statistics in-game are relatively basic too so overall it must be said that they do lack in this area.

BetUK Customer Satisfaction

Reviews of BetUK have mostly been positive, with customers generally pleased with the products and especially the level of customer service provided. There are a few who have reported issues when they have won with their introductory bonus and that payout, and in some cases winnings, have disappeared subsequently which is a little alarming although this isn’t a common complaint.

They have a 24-hour customer service that can be reached via live chat on the website or using their 24-hour helpline as well as by e-mail.

BetUK representatives can answer most betting queries and are generally helpful in dealing with any concerns that a customer may have.

In addition to the live chat and e-mail service, there is also an FAQ section that can answer simple betting queries or problems.

Overall BetUK’s customer service is very good and the speed which it can be accessed provides peace of mind for customers.

BetUK Mobile App

Most sportsbooks have caught onto the fact that punters are starting to move away from betting on desktop sites to mobile and tablet applications.

BetUK has a casino app on Android and IOS but as yet not one for the sportsbook. Their mobile site is recognisable to users of the desktop site but it is not always as easy to access the relevant markets you are looking for.

The fact that LeoVegas has an impressive casino app for both IOS and Android mobiles in addition to BetUK’s own gaming app would make it seem entirely likely that a sportsbook app could be another future venture for this new betting company and will perhaps be another step in the expansion of the brand.

Check back soon!

Written by Ciro Di Brita

Ciro Di Brita is a football fan and fanatic of all things Naples – not least Napoli. A published author and novelist based in Ireland, Ciro will happily turn his hand to writing on any topic but will always try to work in a reference to Napoli wherever possible.

Our Opinions of BetUK

BetUK offer a real alternative to the more established sportsbooks such as Ladbrokes, with their superb array of sports markets and games for casino.
BetUK’s sportsbook is as impressive a new product as you would see with great variety and no obvious omissions as far as sports or indeed popular bets on the sports they do offer.
They also offer a vast range of in-play betting options and their match tracker facility on all in-play football is an immersive, although unoriginal feature to keep in-play punters engaged.
BetUK have reportedly struck a deal to live stream greyhound racing and will no doubt be looking into becoming the latest to add horse racing pictures.
Overall BetUK should be appealing to all punters with the only obvious exception those who like to bet on horse racing online and stream pictures through the same site. With all UK and Irish racing available through one of the two main racing channels, this shouldn’t alienate too many racing bettors.

BetUK provide 28 different sports to bet on, with football matches delivering over 100 different markets to choose from.

In-play sports range extensive and markets on football are vast with immersive graphical content to keep punters engaged

Virtual football, greyhound racing and horse racing events with a new event every 60 seconds

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